Chapter Text
“Don’t forget to call Tony,” May had called to Peter as he rushed out of the door that morning, frantically flinging his backpack over his shoulder and shoving a granola bar in his mouth.
She reminded him again through a text that he half-read on the subway, whilst being distracted by Ned texting him furiously about the limited edition LEGO set he had just managed to accumulate from a sketchy collector on eBay.
Peter was now staring at the text that popped up at the top of his phone, six hours later and completely forgotten about.
Have you called Tony yet??
“Is that Tony Stark?” Ned whispered at a volume that couldn’t even be argued to be a whisper, leaning over as Peter’s lit up with the notification. “Has something happened? Does he need,” Ned paused, and Peter suddenly became aware of the multitude of classmates they were surrounded by, “y’know, him? Or,” Ned perked up, “he’s picking you up after school after all?”
Peter sighed, titling the phone screen under the desk for his best friend so he could read. “No, it’s just May,” he said. “You know Happy’s picking me up. Mr Stark’s busy, he’s probably got a meeting or something.” He glanced at the text once again, grimacing as he already knew the answer.
He didn’t know why exactly May wanted him to call Tony. He knew that Peter was coming to the Penthouse after school, that he was coming with an abundance of clothes and gadgets, and underwear as May had reminded him that morning was essential to surviving the next ten weeks. A phone call wouldn’t remind the billionaire of the upcoming plans. But May had been doubtful of Tony ever since she found out he had been neglecting Peter’s internship paperwork for over eight months.
“Is he bringing one of Stark’s personal cars?” Ned whispered again, and several heads turned towards them. Mr Harrington, from where he was teaching at the front of the class, paused slightly, his gaze lingering on the two students clearly having a conversation at the back of the classroom. But it was the last hour before school let out for the summer, so he just turned back to the board.
The room was stuffy in the way that could only happen during the last few weeks before summer vacation, the scent of sweaty students falling unpleasantly into Peter’s nose. Several backpacks had already been zipped up, full of sticky candy and water guns and absolutely no textbooks, waiting patiently at the side of desks for the school bell to finally ring.
“I don’t know,” Peter hissed. “Why would he do that?”
“Well, because,” Ned paused, clearly debating his argument internally, “you’re you, y’know. You’re his personal intern.”
Peter huffed. Ned knew that wasn’t a real title, only created by Tony Stark to make the internship look legitimate for the school. They still hadn’t fully cleared up what they were exactly, although Peter would probably label them mentor and mentee. Although Tony hadn’t been mentoring lately, more so allowing Peter to mess around with all the electronics in his lab and then stuffing him full of takeout when the sun set.
“Besides,” Ned added. “He’s basically going to be your dad for the next ten weeks.”
Peter straightened, his body physically reacting to what Ned had just said. His breath got caught in his throat, in what was probably an overdramatic reaction but Peter didn’t care. “What, no!” he spluttered, lowering his voice once he noticed he had reached the same volume of Ned. “Dude, he’s just going to be watching me for the summer.”
Ned raised an eyebrow. “That’s basically being a dad, dude.”
“Dude!”
May had been wanting to volunteer abroad for years now, as long as Peter could remember, even when Uncle Ben was still around and there to support her goals. She hadn’t, because Peter was too young for her to leave with Uncle Ben, and then the bullet and he was too young to leave completely by himself for an entire summer. But this was perhaps the first summer where Peter had another legal adult to watch over him.
May had been taking the first opportunity, and now Peter was going to be spending the next ten weeks of summer vacation with Tony and Pepper.
“Not the same thing,” Peter responded stubbornly. “At all.”
They fell into a silence, filled with the bored teachings of Mr Harrington who didn’t even attempt to act like anybody was listening, and Peter didn’t even try to act like he was. His thoughts kept returning to Ned’s comment. Tony was as far from a dad as could possibly be. Dads were supposed to be reliable, doting, an inspiration to their children. At least, that’s what Peter remembers Uncle Ben being.
Tony was good. He was kind, he never deserted Peter, he was funny and caring in his own strange way. But he never felt like a dad. Peter couldn’t remember them ever having a conversation that didn’t focus on Spider-man, or the Avengers, or the internship. Tony didn’t want to hear about how Peter’s week sucked, or how he and Ned were going to go to the cinema the next weekend.
Tony was great. But he wasn’t a dad.
The thoughts consumed Peter as the minutes ticked by, until the bell rung to announce the beginning of summer, and several of his classmates were already running out of the door like they couldn’t waste a single second. Mr Harrington only sighed, turning to wipe off the whiteboard.
Peter allowed himself to sit for a second, slipping his pencil case into his bag. It felt like he always running from home to patrol to the Stark Tower back to home, there was very little time Spider-man or Peter Parker got to breathe. He exhaled, before forcing himself to his feet.
“Hey, dude, can I ask you something?” Ned piped up, his backpack already slung over his shoulder. Peter hummed affirmatively, bent over his backpack as he tugged the zipper to close.
“I know you’re busy and you probably can’t say yes,” Ned said, “but do you want to hang out right now? M.J and I were going to visit this new dessert shop that opened up across town and, and we’ve missed you, dude.”
Peter hesitated, already feeling the rejection on the tip of his tongue. It would be so easy to say no. He had Spider-man to worry about, homework that he had been desperately trying to catch up on the past few months, his internship. But he also desperately wanted to say yes. He hadn’t felt normal in so long. Probably not since the Spider Bite.
And summer was just about to begin, which basically meant Peter had no responsibilities for the next twelve hours.
“Okay,” he said with more confidence than he felt.
Ned perked up. “Really?” he asked. “Finally, I’ve been waiting for you to say yes forever, dude. Since you bailed on me for your, y’know,” Ned hesitated and Peter glanced around, for any classmates that may be eavesdropping, “special activity. And like I still hang out with M.J but she doesn’t understand Star Wars, like, at all dude. Not like you do.”
Peter swallowed.
“Where is this new dessert shop anyways?” he asked, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as Ned began to lead him out of the classroom. The hallway was less suffocating than the classroom, far emptier too, the sound of air conditioning on full blast filling the silence. Everybody had already deserted the school for summer.
Ned was already rambling as they wandered towards the exit. “It’s like right next to that one burger place that gave you food poisoning that one time,” he said, gesturing with his hands. “It’s really tucked in, but M.J knows the way. Her dad took her there a few weeks ago.”
Peter frowned, his thoughts distracted even as Ned continued to talk. He knew he had been deserting his friends, and he knew that they knew why he was doing that. But apparently this desert place had been relevant for weeks now, and Peter hadn’t heard a lick about it.
“Apparently all the cakes are really sweet,” Ned continued. “Dude, we should totally share a milkshake. M.J says the banana one is really good, but apparently it’s massive.” They passed out of the school, stepping in the scorching sun that felt ever so more unbearable than it had when Peter entered the school that morning. The heat of the sun soaked in through the thin soles of his trainers from the concrete beneath his feet, and Peter internally cursed New York’s weather. He was missing winter at that very moment.
“You guys are late.”
Peter’s head snapped up. M.J was standing, leaning against the brick wall that separated their school from the streets. She offered a half-hearted smile, already pushing herself from the wall to lead them further down the street.
“You convinced him to come?” she called to Ned.
“Mhm,” Ned affirmed, quickening his pace so Peter had to quicken pace, so they could all walk together. “This is so cool. We haven’t hung out in forever, guys.”
Peter hummed and they fell into a comfortable silence. He hadn’t abandoned them, per say, he still saw Ned and M.J in classes and at lunch and sometimes Peter and Ned would still go to Delmar’s together to share a sandwich. But it had been so long since the three of them had actually left school together. Usually Peter was already flinging himself over the school gate before the bell even rung, tugging the Spider-man mask over his head in anticipation.
“You should totally stay the night too,” Ned was already continuing, glancing at Peter. “M.J’s already staying, and we’re going to watch Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and I need someone who actually understands what’s going on.” Ned paused. “Unless you can’t. Has Tony Stark given you a curfew?”
M.J shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re actually staying with Tony Stark for the summer,” she said. “Are you going to forget about us, Parker? Become too good for us?”
“It’s just one summer,” Peter argued. “Not much will change in just one summer, M.J.” Tony had been a large part of his life for over a year now, and Peter didn’t think he had changed that much. Spider-man existed a long time before Tony Stark, Peter Parker existed a long time before Tony Stark. Another ten weeks wouldn’t change that.
“Parker, where are you going?”
Peter froze, already recognising the voice, turning slowly to the flashy, black car that he hadn’t noticed until that second. Happy Hogan was sitting in the driving seat, window down, leaning his elbow out of the car.
Peter had been hoping Happy would forget to pick him up.
“Oh, hi Happy,” he said hesitantly, suddenly aware of Ned and M.J standing behind them. They both knew of Happy, Peter had spoken about him plenty over the last year, but they had never actually met him. “I was just, I was just going to go to this new dessert shop, with Ned and M.J?”
“No can do kid,” Happy answered simply. “Tony wants you back straight after school. He has something to show you in his workshop.”
“Not even just thirty minutes?” Peter tried negotiating. “Please Happy. It’s the last day of school.”
Happy shook his head. “Get in the back kid.”
Peter sighed, but was already moving, knowing there was no point in arguing. Tony probably could’ve been convinced, but Happy was as stubborn as a mule. He tugged open the back door, tossing his backpack into the furthest seat, before turning back to Ned and M.J.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“No, no, this is so cool,” Ned was already exclaiming, looking at Happy like he was an exhibition rather than a human being. “Are you really Tony Stark’s personal bodyguard?”
“I work for Pepper Potts, kid,” Happy responded smoothly. “Although, apparently now I’m babysitting Tony’s newest project too.”
Ned’s mouth gaped, but M.J only rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “So, are we not going to see you again till August, Peter?” she asked.
“I promise I’ll come see you guys,” Peter promised, and deep in his heart, he believed it. It should be easier now, he reasoned, with no schoolwork or homework to occupy his day. “I’ll ask Mr Stark about the sleepover tonight. Promise.”
“This is so cool,” Ned whispered again.
M.J leaned forward into the window, even as Happy turned on the engine, threatening to leave. “You better keep that promise.”
Peter nodded, before Happy began to pull away, the distance between them grew exponentially. Ned waved, still looking completely starstruck, turning to say something to M.J that Peter couldn’t hear, and M.J offered a single wave that felt half hearted. God, Peter hadn’t spoken to her properly in ages.
Peter slumped into his seat. “Happy.”
“What kid?” Happy said. “If you have an issue, you bring it up with Tony. He’s responsible for you.”
—
When Peter entered the workshop, he couldn’t find Tony.
He knew he was here. The blasting music that could deafen a dog was an obvious clue, as was the smell of fresh oil that hung heavily in the air. It wasn’t necessarily a surprise that Tony wasn’t waiting for his arrival, he knew his mentor could get distracted with his work fairly easily.
Peter padded across the lab, peering at the mess that completely swamped the counter tops. It was the same mess that had been there since Tuesday, so Peter knew Tony hadn’t been working over here. It also meant that Pepper hadn’t been down, because if she had the place would be spotless.
Peter found Tony, eventually, slotted between the floor and an Ironman boot, his tongue slotted slightly outside of his mouth in concentration as he pressed a screwdriver into the underneath.
His mind went back to Ned’s words from earlier, ‘He’s basically going to be your dad for the next ten weeks.’ Ned had never seen Tony like this. When he got completely preoccupied with his work and couldn’t even acknowledge the teenager that just worked into his lab. May was always waiting for Peter after school.
“Tony?”
Tony glanced down, a smirk falling onto his lips as he recognised his mentee, but he didn’t stop his task. “Hey kid,” he called. “Good journey here?”
Peter huffed, already tossing his backpack onto a bench and sitting down on the floor besides Tony. “I was going to hang out with Ned and M.J after school,” he sulked, crossing his arms over his chest. “But then Happy said I had to come see you right away.” He looked up. “You don’t need me right away, do you Mr Stark?”
Silence fell over them for several seconds as Tony screwed in a nut. “Probably, kid,” he said absentmindedly, and Peter already knew he hadn’t heard the question. Tony slid out from beneath the boot, standing up and snatching a water bottle off a nearby counter. “May called me earlier, kid. She said I should be expecting a call from you sometime this morning. And,” Tony glanced down at his phone, “I haven’t received a call from you since last Sunday. Would you like to explain?”
“I had homework?” Peter tried.
“Kid, I may be an adult but I still understand how school vacations work,” Tony tossed Peter a wrench, patting the side of the Ironman boot. “Tighten this part, will you? And be careful not to catch your fingers.” He reinserted himself beneath the machine once again. “Am I too old for you to call now? Not cool enough?”
“It’s not that, Mr Stark,” Peter argued, digging the wrench into boot with perhaps more force than necessary. “I just forgot okay? Can we not talk about this right now?”
Tony shrugged. “Whatever, kid.”
Peter finished tightening the bolt, placing the wrench back on the counter as he crouched down besides the billionaire. “Can I ask you something?”
“You talk a lot, you know that?”
“After school, me, Ned and MJ were talking about, y’know, stuff,” Peter already began to ramble. “And Ned was all like ‘You should come for a sleepover Peter’ and I was like ‘Oh okay’ and MJ didn’t say anything because she likes to be cool and mysterious like that. And May always lets me go for a sleepover with Ned because it’s not a big deal but then I thought it might be a big deal because we’re not in Queens right now and maybe you need Spider-man to do something for you so I told Ned to let me ask you first.” He took a much needed breath. “So can I go to the sleepover?”
Peter blinked as Tony paused in his work, pushing himself back up from under the Ironman boot, to look directly at the teenager. “I’m going to be honest with you, kid, I wasn’t listening to a word you were saying.”
Peter huffed as Tony stood up, wiping his oil stained hands on his jeans and strolling further into the lab “You need to get changed, by the way,” Tony called over his shoulder as he approached the elevator. “Pepper wants you to eat proper food tonight, so we’re having dinner in the penthouse in half an hour.”
“What’s wrong with my clothes?” Peter exclaimed, gesturing to his clothes. He was wearing scruffy jeans and a shirt that had definitely seen better days, but it was what he always wore. May had never had an issue with it. He jogged to catch up with Tony, who was already reaching the elevator. “So what about the sleepover?”
“The sleepover?” Tony sighed as the elevator doors opened. “I don’t know. Let’s talk about it at dinner with Pepper, ‘kay? She’s, like, 98% responsible for this household, and I’m pretty sure that includes you.” He stepped into the elevator, raising his hand as the doors began to close behind him. “Go get changed.”
Peter snorted as the doors fully closed, and Tony Stark was out of hearing range. “But I like my shirt,” he muttered defiantly.
—
Peter arrived for dinner with a new shirt.
His jeans remained the same, but he remembered May’s constant reminders to be a good guest, so he wore the only shirt he owned that had ever come into contact with an iron. He thought he looked alright.
Both Tony and Pepper were already in the kitchen when he walked in, Pepper purposefully removing a tray of lasagna from the oven while Tony stood around like a lost child in the middle of the room.
“Hi Peter,” Pepper called over her shoulder, setting the lasagna onto the side and slipping the oven mitts off her hands. “Did you have a good last day of school?”
“Mhm, yeah, I hung out with Ned and M.J so that was cool,” Peter responded politely, hovering uselessly by the open entrance of the room. “Nobody was doing any work, though. Can I help with anything?”
“Oh, no honey. I’ve got it all sorted.” Pepper walked past Tony, heading towards the fridge. “You’re our guest, you don’t need to do anything. Tony, did you forget to order more milk?”
Tony glanced up. “Why do we need milk?”
“Not right now,” Pepper interrupted. “I just like to know we have milk in the house. Look, we’re completely out.” She shut the fridge with a sigh, a bowl of salad now safe in her hand. “Peter, sweetie, how about you go and sit down? Dinner will be ready shortly.” Pepper looked at Tony, and clearly it meant something that Peter couldn’t read yet, because Tony immediately turned, his body blocking whatever was in the drawer he pulled open.
The dining room was connected to the kitchen, a vast open space so unlike the small apartment Peter and May shared in Queens. Peter had visited the penthouse many times before, on the rare occasion that Tony actually wanted to leave the lab, or on the more common occasion that Pepper dragged them out so they could receive some nutrients.
The table itself was large, a fine polished oak, far larger than the amount of guests it usually served. Although Peter hadn’t been there for the days when the Avengers had been a more significant part of Tony’s life, he could imagine the world’s mightiest heroes crowding around the piece of furniture, making it seem almost cramped in comparison.
Peter had only sat at the table once, when he was invited to dinner with Tony and Pepper before, in the early days of his mentorship. At the time he had been worrying about not making a fool of himself in front of his mentor and his wife, and although those thoughts still remained deep in his stomach, Peter thought he was handling himself much better. And he had long since phased out of the star struck mentee phase.
He turned as footsteps followed him from the kitchen, revealing Tony holding a handful of utensils and dinner plates. “Alright kid. Where do you wanna sit?”
Peter stared. “Don’t you have usual seats? Me and May always sit in the same seats for dinner.”
“Yeah, well, I feel like doing something different.” Tony meandered further into the dining room, to the opposite end of the table where they had had dinner before. He hesitated over several different seats before ending up at the head, or rather the end, of the table, setting down the plates. “And you can sit at the head, kid.”
“What? No! Tony! Why?”
“Because I said so and it’s my house,” Tony said, but his head turned automatically as Pepper entered the room, holding the lasagna and a salad bowl simultaneously. “Oh that smells good.”
He stepped forward, pecking Pepper on the cheek, an affectionate gesture that Peter remembered fondly from when Uncle Ben would come home from work, and Peter was small but he could still feel the love between his aunt and uncle.
Pepper smiled, looking beyond Tony at the table. “We’re changing seats?”
“Specifically for the kid.”
“Well then,” Pepper was already moving, setting down the food in the center. “Peter, you can sit at the head.”
They were already moving, slotting into their self determined seats, as naturally as though it had always been like this. The room seemed even bigger from the end, stretching endlessly away from the kitchen, the wide window at the end adding unnecessary heat that curled up uncomfortably at the back of Peter’s neck.
Tony coughed, already reaching over the table to serve the food, looking from Peter to the head of the table and back again. When Peter didn’t move, he coughed again, raising his eyebrow.
“Really?” Peter mouthed and Tony nodded. Peter huffed beneath his breath as he went to sit at the head of the table. Uncle Ben had always sat at the head of the table, and when he was gone it was Aunt May who took that spot at the table. Peter had never been an option.
The dinner was soon served, Peter noticing how his plate had substantially more food than either Tony’s or Pepper’s. He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised, Tony was very aware of his enhanced metabolism, and Tony always seemed to remember the little things to do with his enhancements. Even if he didn’t always remember the human side.
“So, are you excited for senior year?” Tony asked, after several seconds of the only sound being the scrapping of cutlery against plates.
“Tony,” Pepper warned.
“What? That’s what you’re supposed to do, right?” Tony immediately bit back, his gaze falling directly on Pepper. “Ask the kid about school, his friends, whatever else is going on.”
“I’m going into junior year,” Peter piped up.
“Oh.” Tony shoved some lettuce into his mouth, not even finishing chewing before speaking again. “Then, are you excited for junior year?”
“Suppose,” Peter said absentmindedly, cutting his lasagna carefully into little chunks. “They’re going to start worrying about colleges though, and I’m not sure whether I want to go or not.”
Pepper looked up. “Why don’t you want to go? From what I’ve heard from Tony, you sound like the smartest kid in your year.”
Peter shrugged. “Y’know. Spider-man.” He nudged the food around his plate, suddenly aware of both Pepper and Tony staring at him. He had spoken to May a little bit about college, but she didn’t press too much. She felt like he was still too young to be thinking about college.
“What about Spider-man?”
“Well, the city needs Spider-man,” Peter finally placed some food in his mouth, pausing to chew before continuing. “And I figured it’ll be difficult coming back from like Massachusetts everyday just to patrol.” He took another bite, deciding to shut up about the fact that he was also nervous to leave Aunt May all on her own. Tony and Pepper couldn’t understand that.
“Spider-man isn’t the only hero in the city,” Tony immediately injected, waving his fork around. “Ironman isn’t going anywhere. I’m sure the other Avengers would come back if anything major happened.” Like it was so easy.
“What about the smaller crimes?” Peter questioned, his voice tightening as Tony tried to solve his problems, once again, when he couldn’t possibly understand what it was like to be Peter Parker. It had started with the Ferry, and had only continued as the two grew into whatever their weird relationship was now. “What about people getting robbed on the street? The people who need somebody to talk to? The people who need directions because they’re lost? Is Ironman going to be there when somebody’s grandma needs help bringing the groceries inside?”
“Kid, are you listening to yourself right now?” Tony set his fork on the table. “That’s work for the police. Or neighbours. New York can survive without Spider-man so he can get an education. They survived without you before, kid.”
Peter huffed, leaning back in his chair. He glanced at Pepper, but she, like Tony, had never been on a patrol, seen the good Spider-man did for his city. “Can we just drop it?” he said.
Tony snorted, looking up at the ceiling. “Sure kid,” he said easily, humming under his breath. He was not an inside thinker whatsoever, and Peter could tell he was desperately searching for a new topic. “Peter wanted to ask you something, Pep.”
Pepper swallowed her last bite, looking at Peter. “What is it Peter?”
Peter looked at Tony. “What am I asking?”
“Y’know, the sleepover. At Ted’s house.”
“Peter’s asking me about a sleepover?” Pepper interjected, straightening in her chair. “Tony, you are perfectly capable of answering that question yourself. May’s trusting you to look after Peter this summer. I’m going to be gone for three weeks, you know this.”
Peter looked up. “Gone for three weeks?” Technically, May had mentioned that it would be Tony watching him for the summer, but the penthouse was large and Peter knew Tony well enough now that those three weeks would mean no real meals, music so loud that Peter would return to school half deaf, and long hours in the labs where days got warped together.
“I’ve got important meetings to attend to in Hong Kong, London and Chicago this summer,” Pepper explained easily, stabbing some greens with her fork as she spoke. She shoved her fork in her mouth, swallowing before continuing. “Tony’s supposed to be attending too, but he managed to use you as an excuse.”
“That’s a really unfair judgement,” Tony argued from his side of the table.
“You’ve known about these meetings for months now, Tony,” Pepper shrugged from her side of the table.
“I can’t believe this, my own fiancée,” Tony shot back, glancing at Peter. “You can’t believe it either, can you kid?”
“I-” Peter blinked. Ben and May used to playfully argue like this, and although it wasn’t anything harmful it still went on for hours and hours. Hours and hours that Peter got bored of very quickly. “Hong Kong. That sounds cool. Have you been before?” He shoved a piece of lasagna in his mouth before he could speak anymore.
“Yeah, it’s really beautiful, I would really recommend it.” Pepper wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Hey, Tony could take you. That would be fun.”
“Pepper,” Tony grumbled, slumping into his seat.
“What? You guys have to spend ten weeks together. You can’t spend the entirety of it in the lab.”
“We can’t?”
“You can’t.”
An awkward silence fell over the table again, one that reminded Peter of May and Ben. Although their silences had never felt awkward. “I’ve never left New York before,” Peter said, anything to cover the silence. “May has always wanted to take me travelling, though.”
Tony perked up. “Seriously?” he asked, pointing his fork at Peter. “You’ve never been abroad?”
Peter deadpanned him. “Mr Stark, why do you think I didn’t have a passport?”
“I dunno,” Tony shrugged. “Wait. Seriously, kid? You’ve never even been to Pennsylvania?”
They had always meant to. Him, May and Ben were going to be travellers once they got their big break and could afford to pack up and leave for a few months. May had always wanted to visit Mount Rushmore, and Ben had always wanted to see the western coast. “Not really,” was Peter’s response. “Other than Germany.”
“Wait, like seriously?” Tony asked again, as though Peter’s response was going to miraculously change. “You haven’t even been to Massachusetts?”
“Tony.”
“No, are you listening to this kid Pep?” Tony said, sitting back in his chair. “He’s being living for what, fifteen years now and he’s seen what, Queens, occasionally Manhattan? Your first time out of New York was Germany, kid? Really?”
“Is it really that unusual?” Peter defended. “New York’s, like, massive.”
Tony just huffed, resting his head in his hand. “You’re just making me feel bad for you, kid.”
“I went to Washington D.C once,” Peter added, as though it could help. “With the decathlon team.”
“So you haven’t seen the Grand Canyon?”
“No.”
“Las Vegas?”
“Why would I? I’m sixteen.”
Tony tapped his fork on the side of his plate, his face scrunching up as he thought. “California? Everybody has to go there at least once in their life. It’s like a pilgrimage for Americans.”
Peter shrugged. “We were supposed to go when I was little but,” he looked away, “life just kind of got in the way.”
There was silence for several seconds, Pepper looking very intently at Tony as Peter tried to figure out which hole he was burying himself within. “Tony.”
“What?”
Pepper just made a face, one that Tony obviously understood because he made one in return. “I’m thinking,” he argued to whatever private disagreement they were having, before lifting his fork once again at Peter. “I have the perfect idea, road trip.”
“What?”